2018 VQI@VAM: Register Today!

The third annual VQI@VAM will once again be held in conjunction with the SVS Vascular Annual Meeting. VQI@VAM sessions will begin on Wednesday, June 20th and continue through noon Thursday, June 21st. The VQI Annual Meeting will highlight quality improvement actives initiated based on usage of VQI registry data, provide detailed reviews of case abstraction scenarios for each of the 12 VQI registries and presentations on research findings from studies conducted by VQI members.

VQI@VAM will once again host a poster and networking reception. This event will be held on Wednesday evening, from 5:30p.m. – 7:00p.m. VQI members still have time submit a 250 – 500 word abstract to be considered for inclusion in the poster session. The deadline for abstract submissions is March 23rd. Please contact Jim Wadzinski at jwadzinski@svspso.org or Cheryl Jackson at cjackson@svspso.org for further details.

To register to attend VQI@VAM, please visit the SVS VAM website at VAM Registration. VQI@VAM is listed as a separate ticket-only event. You do not have to register for the entire VAM conference to attend VQI@VAM.

The event will be held in the Hynes Convention Center. The official housing website, complete with discounted room rates, is now open and can be found at VAM Housing. Please do not call the hotel directly for reservations. The VQI Annual Meeting is held in conjunction with the SVS VAM.

A detailed agenda for 2018 VQI@VAM and the speaker roster will be available soon.

Slides from 2017 VQI@VAM sessions as well as a digital version of the QI Project Guide are now available within Members Only on the VQI website. (Please note: Members who need credentials for Members Only, please contact Nancy Heatley at nheatley@svspso.org)

2017 VQI@VAM General Sessions Photos:

Feedback from 2017 Attendees

“Process improvement projects were emphasized greatly which is valuable to all facilities”

“Thought it was well organized with the appropriate breaks and time to interact. Wouldn’t change it!”

“I really enjoyed the breakout sessions. They were small enough to be able to ask questions of the experts. The panel discussion was also very informative.”

“I really enjoyed the level of interaction by physicians. It showed how much they value all the hard work the nurse abstractors and data managers do to make them look good.”

“It was great to have an extra half day session. I thought having breakout sessions the first day was an improvement, more relevant for participants to choose which modules they wanted to do a deeper dive into. Poster presentations were a great addition – I’m sure participation will grow in the future. Great job! Thank you!”

“Excellent conference. The educational sessions by the physicians on Tuesday were very informative and helpful (break outs).”

Testimonials

In the Carolinas Vascular Regional Quality Group, the VQI has been a wonderful, professional and personal "glue" for our regional quality efforts.

FAQs

What is the relationship between the SVS, AVF, and M2S?

The mission of VQI is to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness and cost of vascular health care by collecting and exchanging information. It consists of the Society for Vascular Surgery Patient Safety Organization (SVS PSO), regional quality improvement groups accredited by the SVS PSO, and a cloud-based database managed by M2S. The VQI collects data on arterial and venous procedures.

The SVS is the sole owner of the SVS PSO and provides comparative data analysis and oversight of quality improvement activities for the VQI. The regional quality groups accredited by the SVS PSO meet semi-annually to share data collected by their individual sites and initiate quality improvement projects that impact patient care and reduce costs.

The American Venous Forum (AVF) is an official endorser of the VQI, and all venous activities within the VQI are jointly sponsored by SVS and AVF. The AVF holds seats on the SVS PSO Governing Council as well on the SVS PSO Venous Quality Committee. The AVF will play a central role in developing the data forms and benchmarking reports for venous interventions and will lead the analytic efforts through the SVS PSO Venous Quality Committee.

Who can participate in the VQI?

Any physician performing procedures included in the VQI can participate, as an individual, a physician group, or a hospital. Participation is not limited to the US and Canada; international participation is welcomed.

What is the role of the regional quality groups?

Centers participating in the VQI are encouraged to form regional quality groups as a way to improve the quality of vascular care by analyzing and reporting outcomes based on use of a common registry. Each regional quality group that is approved by the SVS PSO for participation has a Quality Committee under the umbrella of the SVS PSO to oversee the protected patient safety work performed on regional data. Regional quality groups have their own governing structure, usually including an executive committee and a research advisory committee to review and approve distribution of regional de-identified data for research.

Currently more than 220 centers in the United States and Canada participate in VQI. Regional quality groups have been established in New England, the Carolinas, Florida-Georgia, the South, Southern California, the Virginias, the Rocky Mountains, New York City, Illinois, Wisconsin, the Mid-Atlantic, Upstate New York, Chesapeake, Indiana, and Ohio. Several other regional groups are currently in development.

The SVS PSO can assist with the formation of a regional quality group by identifying and recruiting interested institutions, providing informational materials and product demonstrations, and helping organize initial meetings.

How does the VQI better the practice of vascular medicine?

The VQI positions SVS and AVF as leaders in vascular quality improvement by providing a platform for their members to analyze outcomes, determine best practices, and collaborate with peers on quality improvement efforts regionally and nationally. The medical profession as whole benefits by advancing the understanding of specific treatment options for vascular disease, ultimately, benefiting vascular patients.

The VQI provides data collection for both arterial and venous procedures in a single platform.

Can I have access to de-identified data for research, and if so, how do I gain access to the data?

You must be participating in the VQI to have access to de-identified data for research. If you want to access de-identified research data from participating centers within your regional group, you need to gain approval through your regional group quality committee of the SVS PSO.

If you would like to do a cross-regional or national research project, you will need to gain approval through the quality committee of the SVS PSO, and each regional group contributing data must approve the project and be represented on the study design and writing committee.

Can the VQI integrate with my EMR/Clinical System?

For an additional fee, M2S provides integration of the General and Demographic information from your clinical system into the PATHWAYS database. The SVS PSO and M2S are currently engaging with EMR vendors to encourage them to incorporate VQI data elements into the EMR so that all data can be transferred from the EMR to the SVS PSO in the future.

How does contracting work with the SVS PSO and M2S?

There are two contracts, one with the SVS PSO and one with M2S for the PATHWAYS database management services. All contracting is facilitated through M2S, and both agreements are required in order to participate in the VQI.

How does contracting and pricing work for hospitals with more than one participating centers?

There will be one contract per hospital or health system. Fees are calculated per institution’s annual procedure volume regardless of whether the contract is with an individual institution or multi-center health system.

What are the benefits to my participation in the VQI?

Individual physicians benefit by receiving individual benchmarked quality reports, and this activity is approved as meeting Part 4 of the American Board of Surgery's Maintenance of Certification requirement.